Ice-cream-can holder



April 29, 1924.

J. F. FRANCIS ICE CREAM CAN HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 20. 1922 April 29, 1924.

' J. F. FRANCIS ICE CREAM CAN HOLDER Filed Oct. 20 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I awuzwtoz J14; mana's Fetented Apr. 29, 1924.

JOHN F. FRANCIS, on ST. JOSEPH, mlssounr.

ICE-GREAM-CAN HOLDER.

Application flied October 20, 1922. Serial No. 595,872.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN F. FRANOIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, has invented new and useful Improvements in Ice-Cream-Can Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to receptacle supporting devices and finds its chief although not exclusive adaptation in connection with the retail dispensing of ice cream from cans surrounded by crushed ice in packing cabinets. One of the chief annoyances attending the dipping of ice cream from such receptacles lies in the bobbing of the can from side to side when the pressure of the dipper is applied to the contents. Especially does this condition obtain when the cans are partially empty and have a tendency to float in the liquid brine in the bottom of the cabinet.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of means for maintaining the cans substantially upright in the ice and brine mixture.

Another object of the invention is the provision of can supporting means cooperable with the packing cabinet and being freely removable therefrom so as to leave the ice chamber of said cabinet unobstructed.

A further object of the invention is to provide can supporting means constructed to have a universal movement whereby it may be adjusted to properly engage the can irrespective of slight mispositioning of the can when packed within the packing cabinet.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the improved ice cream can holder illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and particularly claimed, and in such variations and modifications thereof as will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 represents a can which is here illustrated as being cylindrical in form although it may be constructed to have any desired shape and still be within the spirit of the invention. Adjacent the upper edge thereof the can is provided with an annular bead 2 upon which the lid of the can normally rests. The can is shown packed in the cabinet 4 and surroundedby crushed ice 5. The cabinet is of the type usually found in establishments where ice cream is retailed in small quantities, the cans, when emptied being replaced by filled cans and the cabinet repacked with ice through a service system maintained by the manufacturer of the ice cream.

As ordinarily arranged the cans are maintained in upright position solely through the compactness of the ice packing and it is a common experience when dipping ice cream therefrom to have a can shift its position by tilting or bobbing from side to side under the pressure of the dipper. Not only is this tendency an annoyance to the person serving the ice cream but it is wasteful, in that every movement of the can pushes the ice packing away from intimate contact with the walls thereof leaving air spaces around said can which insulate it from thelow temperature of the packing causing softening of the ice cream. To avoid this it has been found necessary to repack the ice cream more frequently than would otherwise be required which is wasteful both of time and of materials.

The present invention proposes to prevent untoward movements of the cans by anchoring them to the sides of the cabinet. Certain problems arise in the carrying out of this invention since the cabinet must be left free and unobstructed for the replacement of the cans and the expeditious repacking of the same. Moreover a factor that cannot be neglected is the slight alteration in the positioning of the cans which necessarily attends the replacement of the same and the packing of the ice therearound. An invention of this nature, to be practical, must therefore 'meet the requirements of ready removability and of sufiicient flexibilityto engage or embrace the can irrespective of its position within the cabinet.

The present invention comprises a pair of semi-annular members 6 and 7 each provided with a groove 8 fitting the bead 2,

said members being adapted to be brought together on opposite sides of the can in the zone of said bead, embracing the latter within the groove 8. Each of the members is provided adjacent one end and extending radially therefrom with a stub shaft 9 which is cylindrical at its outer end as shown at 10 so as to adapt it to be journally carried inone of the cylindrical bearing apertures 11 in the bearing block 12. The stub shaft isformed adjacent the bearing portion 10 with a spline 3 along which the collar 13 is adapted to slide non-rotatably, said spline terminating a sufficient distance from the semi-annular member to permit the collar when in position adjacent said member to freely rotate. Said collar is provided with a key-way 14 for cooperation with said spline and when said key-way is turned out of alignment with said spline by partially rotating said collar the latter is locked against longitudinal movements. Each of the stub shafts is formed with a longitudinal cut-away portion 15 having preferably a flat inner face 16. The oppo site end of each of the semi-annular members 6 and 7 isprovided with a radially extending arm 17 of the same length as the cut-away portion 15 andbeing so shaped that when the semi-annular members are placed oppositely to one another the arms 17 fit within the cut-away portions 15 presenting a surface which lies flush with the surface of the stub shaft 9 so that the collars position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, to enable them to be withdrawn bodily from engagement with the bearing blocks.

The operation of my improved ice cream can holding device is as follows: The ice cream can having been previously set in the packing cabinet and surrounded by ice properly compacted thereagainst, the semiannular members are placed with the stub shafts 9 occupying that part of opposite bearing apertures which lies closest to the can. Said semi-annular members are then the cut-away portions 15 of the other.

brought into position of substantially perpendicularity to the bearing blocks 12, so

' 11 are pushed inwardly along the stub shafts nalled in the bearing blocks 12 may assume 4 positions of slight angularity to a horizontal plane in order to embrace the bead of the can irrespective of the degree to which said can has been tilted in bringing it into alignment with the holding device. desired to replacethe can or to repack the cabinet it is a simple matter to turn the collars 13 until the key-ways 14 are in alignment with the splines, to slide said collars outwardly disengaging the radial arms 17 and by shifting the latter angularly clear of the key-way portions 15, to remove the can holding device entirely from the cabinet with the exception of the bearing blocks 12 which remain unitarily associated with said cabinet but constituting no obstruction in the Way of access to the icing chamber thereof.

While I have above described what I have found to be a very practical embodiment of my invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that the ice cream can holder may also be exemplified in numerous other alternative constructions and I accordingly reserve the right of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A can holding device comprising bearing blocks adapted to be secured to a receptacle, a pair of separable members adapted to embrace said receptacle, annular slidable means 'for holding said separable members together, said members having pairs of complementary parts together forming cylindrical members, the end of one member of each of said pairs of complementary parts being cylindrical and adapted to be journaled in said bearing blocks.

2. A can holder comprising a pair of bearing blocks adapted to be secured to the opposite sides of a can receptacle, a pair of separable members adapted to embrace said can, slidable means for securing the parts of said separablemembers to ether and complementary parts extending diametrically from said separable members and together forming a cylinder, one of said l/Vhen it is I members having a portion adapted to be journalled in said bearing blocks.

3. A can holding device comprising a pair of bearing blocks adapted to be secured to the opposite sides of a can receptacle, separable members having complementary parts of semicylindrical shape at their ends oppositely arranged and together forming a cylinder, one end of each part being formed with a bearing journalled in the respective bearing blocks, and the other end of each lying adjacent the bearing end of the other and slidable means embracing the adjacent ends of both parts for holding said divided member together.

4. A. can holding device comprising a pair of bearing blocks adapted to be secured to the opposite sides of a can receptacle, a divided member embracing said can, and comprising registering parts of similar shape but oppositely arranged, each of said parts being provided at one end with a stub shaft having a bearing at its end journalled in one of said bearing blocks, said shaft being formed with a recess, the other end of each part being provided with an arm fitting the recess in the adjacent stub shaft, and locking means slidably arranged on said stub shafts for embracing said arms to hold the parts of said divided member together.

5. A can holding device comprising a pair of bearing blocks adapted to be secured to the opposite sides of a can receptacle, a divided member embracing said can and comprising registering parts of similar shape but oppositely arranged, one end of each part being provided With a stub shaft having a bearing at its end journalled in one of said bearing blocks, said stub shaft being formed with a recess in one side, the other end of each part having an extended arm fitting in the recess of the adjacent stub shaft, locking means non-rotatably carried upon a portion of said stub shaft and slidable thereupon to engage said arm when the latter is in said recess for holding said parts together.

6. A can holding device comprising a pair of bearing blocks adapted to be secured to opposite sides of a can receptacle, a divided member embracing a can and formed of registering parts of similar shape but oppositely arranged, one end of each part comprising a stub shaft diametrically extended therefrom and journalled in one of said bearing blocks, said stub shaft being provided for a portion of its length with a spline, and formed with a recess, the other end of each part having a radially extended arm fitting in the recess of the adjacent stub shaft, locking means engageable with said spline and slidable along said stub shaft to embrace said arm for holding said parts together, said locking means being rotatable beyond said spline to prevent endwise displacement thereof.

7. A can holding device comprising a pair of bearing blocks adapted to be secured to the opposite sides of a can receptacle, a divided member embracing a can and having an annular groove to surround a head on said can, said divided member being formed of registering parts of similar shape but oppositely arranged, one end of each part comprising a stub shaft diametrically extended therefrom and journalled in one of said bearing blocks, said stub shaft being provided for a portion of its length with a spline, and formed with a recess, the other end of each part having a radially extended arm fitting in the recess of the adjacent stub shaft, locking means engageable with said splines and slidable along said stub shafts to embrace said arms for holding said parts together, said locking means being rotatable beyond said spline to prevent endwise displacement. thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN F. FRANCIS. 

